A family-run Indian restaurant has been topped Greatest Indian Restaurant within the UK on the Nation’s Curry Awards 2026.
The meals at Kolshi (Picture: CoventryLive)
Nestled in a modest village in southern Warwickshire, an unassuming curry home has simply been topped the Greatest Indian Restaurant in your entire UK at a prestigious awards ceremony. One would possibly anticipate such an accolade to be snatched up by a venue in one in every of Britain’s vibrant cities — maybe Birmingham’s celebrated Balti Triangle, Manchester’s well-known Curry Mile, or a city boasting a considerable South Asian group.
But it is Wellesbourne, the historic village east of Stratford-upon-Avon, maybe finest recognized domestically for its outside market, that’s residence to Kolshi Premier Indian Restaurant — formally declared the best Indian restaurant within the nation. The celebrated title was bestowed by the Oceanic Awards Nation’s Curry Awards 2026, held in Huddersfield earlier this month. Sceptics might properly argue that quite a few curry awards exist and that successful one is hardly trigger for celebration.
Nevertheless, Kolshi Premier Indian Restaurant — a family-run, unbiased institution — has triumphed over formidable competitors to say this honour, having been voted for by business friends and people actually within the know. Dismissing this as insignificant would merely be improper.
Nonetheless, Coventry Dwell’s Danny Thompson was decided to evaluate for himself, and paid the restaurant a go to to share his sincere opinion…
We arrived on a quiet Monday night. The restaurant occupies a spot on Warwick Highway, near the outstanding King’s Head pub.
Kolshi would not supply alcohol. I would usually recommend that is essential data beforehand, however workers knowledgeable us that ought to we want an alcoholic drink there is a conveniently positioned off-licence adjoining — the three associates who’d arrived moments earlier clutching provider baggage stuffed with beer tins immediately made good sense.
Selecting tender drinks, we eagerly devoured poppadums with sauces and dips while learning the menu. The menu proves remarkably complete, providing plentiful option to the extent of being considerably overwhelming.
Nevertheless, it was pleasing to come across gadgets unfamiliar to me — dishes you do not sometimes discover when ordering your Friday night takeaway out of your neighbourhood Balti home.
The meals at Kolshi lived as much as the hype (Picture: CoventryLive)
I enquired with workers concerning a number of dishes and found the household working the restaurant has crafted a menu brimming with classics, your Jalfrezis, bhunas, Baltis and so forth, however consists of further gadgets honouring their Bangladeshi heritage.
But there’s additionally a avenue meals ingredient, notably amongst the starters.
Eager to pattern as a lot as our appetites would permit, we ordered an assortment of starters. Lamb chops, hen pakora and Rooster 65.
Lamb chops have been succulent and never dry (Picture: CoventryLive)
The pakora (£4.95) was fairly in contrast to something I would skilled elsewhere — slightly than a hen chunk battered and deep fried, it resembled extra of a bhaji texture. The undisputed champions of the starters have been the lamb chops (£6.95) and the hen 65.
Lamb often arrives chewy and overdone — these cuts have been pink inside and splendidly succulent, effortlessly separating from the bone with every mouthful.
Rooster 65 (£4.95), supposedly named as a result of it comprises that many distinct spices, proved equally excellent. Spectacularly organized in an upright presentation, I initially tackled these with standard cutlery earlier than a waiter intervened to appropriate my approach.
“Choose it up, mate, it is a lot nicer that means,” and the way proper he proved!
The hen tikka masala was creamy (Picture: CoventryLive)
Abandoning my implements, the hen 65 delivered superior crispness, while bigger mouthfuls unlocked enhanced flavour.
Honestly, I may have demolished countless servings of those appetisers, but proceeded to the primary programs with my urge for food totally stimulated.
Being pretty experimental, and having established a pleasant reference to my waiter following the hen 65 dialogue, I enquired about his options.
King Prawn cooked with pumpkin was “extraordinary” (Picture: CoventryLive)
He queried my preferences and typical decisions earlier than I entrusted him utterly — “I am going to type you out,” he assured me.
What arrived was one thing I would neither sampled beforehand nor encountered on any Indian menu — king prawn ready with pumpkin.
Extraordinary. He defined that cooking with pumpkin represents conventional observe throughout festivities and vital occasions in Bangladesh — solely comprehensible.
Rooster pakora proved an amazing starter (Picture: CoventryLive)
It arrived in a wealthy sauce with ample spice to make it intriguing, but the pumpkin’s texture and sweetness balanced the warmth superbly, with the Halloween-associated ingredient by no means dominating the style — a complementary chilli-cheese naan proved preferrred for scooping up the fruit and prawns.
We additionally sampled a xacuti hen (£8.95), one other solely new dish for me. This proved fiery, the spice pleasantly stimulating the palate with out ever necessitating a determined gulp of water, alongside a hen tikka masala (£9.50) that was luxuriously creamy.
Naturally, I have never dined at each Indian institution throughout Britain, so I can not definitively endorse the accolade declaring it the nation’s best. Nevertheless, Kolshi executes so many parts brilliantly that it is easy to know why it enjoys such affection and esteem.
Rooster 65 was good and crispy (Picture: CoventryLive)
The institution is generously proportioned and elegantly appointed, the delicacies is fastidiously crafted and impressively numerous with what gave the impression to be premium elements.
But for me, it is the style during which workers welcome friends that actually distinguishes it. Servers are personable and well-informed – once I posed questions on dishes, it felt as if I used to be conversing with the cooks straight, and so they deal with patrons with immense courtesy with out being obsequious.
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I noticed fellow diners all through my meal, most arriving with broad grins and exchanging acquainted first-name greetings with workers — it seems the restaurant has established itself as a beloved fixture since launching within the compact group fewer than 5 years in the past. So while I can not definitively affirm it is the best Indian restaurant in Britain, for those who respect a curry ready with consideration and delivered with heat, I can guarantee you that you just’re in for one thing particular.
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